Minnesota’s red flag law, established in 2024, allows courts to temporarily take guns away from people deemed a risk to themselves or others — but that only works to curb tragedy if people know about the law.
Samantha Hoyt, who was previously in law enforcement for 18 years, took on the new role of Extreme Risk Protection Order coordinator in March and is tasked with raising awareness about the law. After reviewing the existing case files, she joined Morning Edition for her first interview on the job this week.
Since 2024, the number of ERPOs filed has more than doubled, Hoyt said. This year so far, judges have issued 151 orders out of 163 requests.
“The petitions themselves are six more per month on average than they were last year, so each year we are seeing an increase,” Hoyt said.
However, there is a lingering knowledge gap. During her time as a police officer, Hoyt said she used ERPOs occasionally, but had to seek out her own training to become familiar with them.
“And so knowing that it's up to individual law enforcement agencies, attorneys offices and communities to find their own understanding of this law, I think that's impacting the numbers most certainly,” she said.
As coordinator, Hoyt hopes to roll out statewide education about when it is and isn’t appropriate to employ an ERPO.
While she has encountered pushback, Hoyt said, “The goal is safety and to prevent harm before it happens, and while they restrict firearms, it's temporary and civil, meaning this is not about punishment.”
The Department of Public Safety says she’s also put together a working group with court officials, law enforcement and other partners to meet monthly about the challenges of implementing ERPOs.
